Electrosmog – a word that everyone has probably heard before.
But what exactly is it and why is this topic becoming increasingly important for all of us?
Electrosmog refers to all artificially generated electromagnetic fields in the environment and the resulting permanent exposure of people and their surroundings.
Electrosmog is equated with the non-ionizing radiation range and is subdivided as follows:
– Static fields (geomagnetic field, high-voltage DC transmission line)
– Low-frequency electric and magnetic fields (up to around 300Hz – AC power lines, electrical appliances)
– High-frequency electromagnetic fields (10Mhz-600 GHz – 5G. LTE, WLAN, radar, microwaves, mobile radio, ultrashort wave, short wave, medium wave, long wave, baby monitors)
Thermal radiation and ionizing radiation (e.g. X-rays) are not included in the topic of electrosmog (even if they are also correctly referred to as electromagnetic waves or particle radiation).
The ever-increasing digitalization and expansion of power grids is steadily increasing exposure to electrosmog in private households, schools, factories and the entire environment.
Artificially generated low- and high-frequency fields in particular are increasing at an ever faster rate due to the development and spread of new technologies.
DECT (cordless) and mobile telephones have long been part of everyday life as a matter of course.
For many children and young people, smartphones, tablets and laptops are also part of their basic equipment and the latest devices are at the top of their wish list.
In order to guarantee seamless accessibility, more and more mobile phone masts need to be erected.
More than 7.3 billion cell phones are currently in active use worldwide.
And the trend is rising.
These include Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Bluetooth and Ultrawideband (UWB).
These are applications of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation that can be used to connect various telecommunications and data processing devices wirelessly and, in some cases, on the move.1
SMART home solutions for private households and companies are also on the rise.
Networked and remotely controllable devices and installations for more security and efficient energy use, among other things, are intended to improve the quality of living.
However, this convenience is also associated with further exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) works to protect people and the environment from damage caused by non-ionizing radiation, among other things.
The following entry can be found on their website: “To protect the population from health hazards caused by electric and magnetic fields from low-frequency and direct current installations, limit values are specified in the 26th Ordinance on the Implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act (26th BImSchV). In order to take account of the scientific uncertainties regarding the health effects of these fields, the BfS recommends additional precautionary measures. “1
The so-called SAR value (specific absorption rate) is used as the basis for defining limit values in the mobile phone sector.
It is a measure of the absorption of electromagnetic fields in a body or material.
The absorption of electromagnetic energy always leads to a warming of a body.
The limit values for cell phones are therefore only based on the thermal effect of electromagnetic radiation.
Other possible influences of radiation, such as possible damage to the genetic material of the cell or similar, are not taken into account. Well-founded long-term studies on secondary diseases in humans and the environment are still completely lacking.
Many general practitioners are concerned and suspect a link between the increased incidence of certain diseases and electromagnetic radiation.2
1 www.bfs.de (Federal Office for Radiation Protection)
2 Freiburg Appeal of 09.10.2002
